Charles Takes Wisla Past Bourges

Tina Charles has once more put herself in reckoning for MVP honours, with a commanding display for Wisla Can-Pack

Wisla Can-Pack center Tina Charles posted yet another spellbinding performance to help her team take a precious 68-64 win against Bourges Basket to make it four victories in a row in Group A.

Having been crowned EuroLeague Women MVP Of The Week four times already this season, Charles made a bid for her fifth accolade with another towering display of quality and unstoppable power as she racked up 33 points and 15 rebounds.

However, Wisla made it tough for themselves against a Bourges team who couldn't field their main offensive threat with Frida Eldebrink sitting on the sidelines nursing a wrist injury.

Initially, it looked as if the locals in Krakow would be treated to a comfortable home win after the hosts built up a rapid double-figure advantage at 19-8, but Bourges worked hard to cut the gap to single digits heading to the locker rooms at the midway point of the game.

The good work of the visitors continued when they returned to the court, making the defensive adjustments needed to slow down Wisla, and put themselves in a position to perhaps take an unlikely victory.

When Pauline Krawczyk converted from long-distance to tie the game up for Bourges with seven minutes left, the nerves began to jangle in the home crowd.

But, in a tense finale, Cristina Ouvina came up trumps with a score and a free-throw in the last sixty seconds to make the game safe for Wisla, who extend their winning streak a little further, and inflict only the second defeat of the season on Bourges.

Emmeline Ndongue was impressive for the visitors with 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals.